Indholdsfortegnelse for March/April 2023 i Family Tree

Genealogy how-to downloads and videos, plus PDF back-issues of Family Tree Magazine <store.familytreemagazine.com> Detailed online courses and webinars full of expert advice about key research subjects <www.familytreemagazine.com/course> Our members-only online library of genealogy instruction <store.familytreemagazine.com/family-tree-website-vip-membership> Free genealogy advice from host Lisa Louise Cooke and expert guests Apple Podcasts/Spotify/ <www.familytreemagazine.com/genealogy-podcast> Subscribe to our free email newsletter for how-to articles. Daily and weekly options available <www.familytreemagazine.com/newsletter-signup> <www.facebook.com/familytreemagazine> @FamilyTreeMag Family Tree Magazine @familytreemag <www.youtube.com/user/familytreemagazine>…

Certain 23andMe DNA offerings <www.23andme.com> “may be fully eligible for Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) reimbursement” for US customers, according to a 23andMe announcement <www.23andme.com/fsa-hsa>. Through FSAs and HSAs, participants can spend tax-free earnings on certain health-related expenses, lowering their taxable income. According to the site, 23andMe’s Health Service product and/or the health component of the Health + Ancestry Service should be eligible. The Health Service includes 65-plus health reports, including those on genetic predispositions (i.e., increased likelihood of developing certain medical conditions); carrier status for certain inherited conditions; and DNA insights into lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise and sleep.…

RESEARCH TIP: Word History in Newspapers Our great-grandmothers assigned cleaning tasks to days of the week as well as seasons. The notion of “spring cleaning” has been around a long time, and it’s fun to use old newspapers to learn more about how the term was used historically. At Newspapers.com <www.newspapers.com>, I search for my topic of interest (in this case, “spring clean”). Results aren’t limited to newspaper articles on the topic; a map shows you the states that use the term the most (and least), and a timeline shows you a dramatic growth in the phrase’s popularity and use in newspapers after 1900. TOP TOOLS: Keyboard Cleaner We probably touch our keyboards more than just about anything else, and that means they are one of the dirtiest items in…

1 Start with free—but don’t stop there. All US newspaper sleuthing should start with Chronicling America’s U.S. Newspaper Directory, where you can find newspapers that covered your ancestral hometowns. Drill down to the time periods and locales of interest, then click on entries of individual papers to learn what libraries have copies. In some cases, you’ll learn that a hometown never published its own newspaper. That’s still helpful information, as you can change your focus to nearby cities and niche papers that may have covered your family’s community. Chronicling America’s own digital collections are relatively small, but still worth a look. Start with the All Digitized Newspapers tab to see what coverage there is for your ancestral region. Narrow to your desired location and time period. Click on individual titles…

THE BEEHIVE STATE IS BEST KNOWN FOR ITS UTAH pioneers, but the Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) weren’t the first to call Utah home. At least eight tribal nations have lived in Utah, including the Paiutes and the namesake Utes. Also home to the genealogy-minded LDS Church, Utah’s Salt Lake City has become a popular destination for family historians from around the world. Whether your ancestors were among early pioneers or recent ancestor-seekers, here’s how to research family in Utah. PIONEERING HISTORY The Fremont Indians and (later) Anasazi or Pueblo culture created agricultural societies based in what is today Southern Utah as early as thousands of years ago. By the time of European contact, other tribes—the Ute, Bannock, Goshute, Paiutes, Shoshone and Navajo—lived there.…

Finding female ancestors is a notorious roadblock for researchers because of the simple fact that women’s names historically changed after marriage. In fact, a married woman’s identity became so affixed to her husband’s that even her own death record or obituary might make no mention of her maiden name. Other records may give only a first name or nickname: Polly, Fanny or Sally. Finding that hidden maiden name is crucial to identifying the woman’s parents and extending her family line, and a challenge nearly every genealogist faces at some point. Fortunately, you can usually solve these maiden-name mysteries with a little legwork. We’ll look at 12 types of resources to explore (from easy-to-find documents to those that require more digging). As you search, keep an eye out for other names…

1 Karen Harrison received this reproduction of a photo around 1975, and the original is missing. The back of Karen’s copy reads “Chaux du Fonds, Switzerland” and identifies the subject as Lucy LeRoy Simair/Somaire. Karen disagrees; she’s identified Lucy in a different photo, and this woman isn’t a visual match. 2 With braided hair and layered pleats on her skirt, this woman is the epitome of mid-1870s fashion. Heavy-looking clothing like this was common in that period, with lots of trim, a long bodice, and a ruffle at the neck. Stripes often appear on clothing in that decade, and a fan was popular accessory. 3 The rolled-back chair made its debut in the 1870s. Young women often leaned on it in photos to show off their bustles. The woman in…

Q Why would I DNA test at multiple companies? A There are five major testing companies that offer some genealogy component to their results and at least attempt to connect you with identified DNA matches: 23andMe <www.23andme.com>, AncestryDNA <www.ancestry.com/dna>, Family Tree DNA <www.familytreedna.com>, Living DNA <www.livingdna.com>, and MyHeritage DNA <www.myheritage.com/dna>. Testing your DNA through multiple of these companies has become more affordable. Whether that is necessary relies on two factors: your goals and your budget. Let’s start with the latter, as it is the more obvious. There’s some value in physically testing at each company—it ensures your actual, physical DNA sample is “banked” in multiple laboratories. But to get the biggest return on your DNA-dollar investment, you can also transfer your DNA between companies (i.e., download a digital file of…

1690s The first known newspapers are published in the modern United States. 1730s German immigrants begin publishing in their native language in Philadelphia, the first known non-English publications in the United States. 1800s Newspapers become the preferred medium for news amongst most Americans, beginning a “golden age” for newspapers. 1830s Newspaper publication soars; many titles target specific groups such as immigrants, workers or abolitionists. 1840s Newspapers begin using wire services such as the Associated Press, which allow stories to more quickly disseminate. 1920s Radio broadcasting enters the mainstream, initially threatening newspapers. 1950s Television begins to compete for advertising revenue and shift the way people consume their news. 1970s Widespread inflation leads the cost of newspapers to skyrocket. 2000s Print newspapers struggle in the internet age, with many publications shutting down…

CLASSIFIEDS A newspaper’s classified ads might go on for pages and include a variety of notices: • job postings• job-seekers looking for positions• lost and found items• properties for sale• real-estate auctions• probate and other court notices ADVERTISEMENTS Search for names and addresses of businesses where your ancestor worked to find advertisements. Ads also might tell you where your relatives likely shopped and what they paid for groceries. NEWS ARTICLES Newspapers covered national and local news. Read not only for mention of your family, but also to get context for their lives. EDITORIALS Read about the most hotly contested topics of the day (from zoning debates to politics) in editorials and letters to the editor. VITAL EVENT NOTICES Search for listings of births, marriage licenses, and deaths, along with milestone…

A grand-aunt, Anna Silgjord Heinecke, was murdered in her home in 1915. I have never been able to find any article resolving her case. Dona Luna via Facebook My great-great-grandfather died in Chicago in 1924. Run over by a trolley.Baker Ring via Facebook MY GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER shot a musket from his apartment window into the home of another man, with whom he’d had a dispute. When the police came to arrest him, my great-great-grandmother threw an ax at one of them. She served no time, but he was sentenced to two months in the penitentiary. Ronnie Bromm O’Rourke via Facebook My great-great-grandfather spent his wedding night in jail. His new brother-in-law did not approve of the marriage and got into a nasty brawl with him. They both spent the night in jail. Bill…

Clipping newspaper articles has long been a popular hobby for family historians. But newsprint fades over time and (worse still) can be so acidic that it breaks down other objects that you store with it. Fortunately, many of the major newspaper websites allow you to digitally “clip” images of newspaper pages, then save them to your account, download, or share with other users. Best of all, the subscription newspaper websites allow you to share clippings with others for free, at least for a limited time. That makes clippings a great way of sharing exciting newspaper finds, plus save just the articles relevant to your family. Here’s a roundup of clipping tools at the major websites: Chronicling America: Clipping is clunkier here than at the subscription sites—there’s not a way of…

1521 Spain claims much of the modern western United States 1821 Utah is part of the newly independent Mexico 1848 Modern Utah becomes part of the United States through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1849 LDS leaders, traveling en masse from persecution, propose the “State of Deseret” 1850 Utah Territory is formed 1857 The federal government installs a non-LDS governor of Utah 1869 The transcontinental railroad is completed at Promontory Summit, Utah 1896 Utah becomes the 45th state of the Union 1918 Daggett County is created from Summit and Uintah Counties, the most-recent change to Utah’s county boundaries 1985 The FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City opens at its current location…

1609 A second charter of Virginia encourages settlement on the western frontiers 1624 Virginia becomes a royal colony 1731 Morgan Morgan, recognized as the first white settler in the region, builds a home in modern Berkeley County 1763 French land west of the Appalachians is ceded to Great Britain; a royal proclamation forbids white settlement west of the Appalachians 1776 In a prelude of things to come, settlers in the western Virginia region lobby for a new state of “Westylvania” 1788 Virginia ratifies the U.S. Constitution 1810 The first coal mine in modern West Virginia opens near Wheeling 1859 Abolitionist John Brown tries to start a slave revolt by raiding the US armory at Harpers Ferry, W.V. 1863 The western counties of Virginia secede and become the 35th state, West…

The degree to which we are able to learn about the lives of our ancestors—beyond just names, dates and locations—depends on our meticulousness, the information available (either online or offline), and our skill set. It also depends on whether we’ve taken advantage of all avenues available to us in our family history quest. Moving beyond the low-hanging fruit (e.g., a census, a death certificate, or a church record) may make the difference between a basic sketch of an ancestor or a lifelike portrayal of him. That’s where historical newspapers come in. In my experience, newspapers make the seemingly impossible, possible. That was certainly true in my years-long quest for answers about my great-grandfather, Hugo Wendt. Neither I nor my living family members knew much about him. But all that changed…

The National Archives (TNA) in London is just a stone’s throw from the River Thames. TNA houses billions of records, some dating to 974 and including the will of “Bill” Shakespeare himself. And much is of potential value to the genealogist in the United States and beyond. The number of digital records on TNA’s site <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk> is growing, but still doesn’t represent close to the archives’ full holdings. Still, staff continue scanning images, hopefully saving you the time and expense of traveling to London in person. A majority of the site’s roughly 9 million online records relate to British subjects, but individuals from all over the world might find documentation of themselves or their ancestors among them. Researchers can access TNA’s digital archive “across the pond” on the screen of…

Q I’ve inherited a tote of old loose family pictures that have a terrible smell. How do I remove the smell without damaging the pictures? A According to the experts at the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services <www.ala.org/alcts>, start by placing the loose photos in zip-lock bags and tucking them into the freezer. (Photo albums can be wrapped in wax paper before freezing.) If mold is the culprit, this will stop any active mold growth and buy time for you to clean and repair the photos. Next, remove one batch at a time, unbag, and defrost. If you suspect mold, inspect each batch outdoors while wearing gloves and an N95 mask (so familiar to the general public now, from the COVID-19 pandemic). Use a damp cotton ball or…

1 BIRTH, MARRIAGE AND DEATH DETAILS Especially from the late-19th to mid-20th century, look for obituaries of the deceased. (Before and after that, mostly prominent citizens were honored this way.) Papers also might carry regular lists of deaths, probate cases, marriage licenses issued, and births. 2 SEEMINGLY MUNDANE HAPPENINGS Especially in small towns, newspapers covered everyday events you won’t find in today’s news: birthday parties and social club meetings (often with names of attendees), out-of-town visitors, residents’ minor illnesses and injuries, and more. In addition to names, search for employers, clubs, churches and street addresses. 3 DETAILS ON FAMILY STORIES Turn to newspapers when you can’t document an ancestral event or you suspect your ancestor was involved in a newsworthy occurrence (such as a crime or local celebration). 4 NATIONAL…

Websites The Ancestor Hunt <www.theancestorhunt.com/newspaper-research-links.html> CanGenealogy <cangenealogy.com/newspapers.html> Cyndi’s List: Newspapers <www.cyndislist.com/newspapers> FamilySearch Research Wiki: United States Newspapers <www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States_Newspapers> Online Historical Newspapers <sites.google.com/site/onlinenewspapersite> Books African-American Newspapers and Periodicals: A National Bibliography by James P. Danky, editor, and Maureen E. Hady, associate editor (Harvard University Press) American Newspapers, 1821–1936, A Union List of Files Available in the United States and Canada by Winifred Gregory (H.W. Wilson Co.) Chronological Tables of American Newspapers, 1690–1820 by the American Antiquarian Society The Family Tree Historical Newspapers Guide: How to Find Your Ancestors in Archived Newspapers by James M. Beidler (Family Tree Books) Finding and Using African American Newspapers by Timothy N. Pinnick (Gregath Publishing Company) The German Language Press of the Americas, 3 volumes, by Karl J.R. Arndt and Mary E. Olsen (Verlag Dokumentation) Guide…

The enormous David Rumsey Map Collection <www.davidrumsey.com> is a popular resource for genealogists who want to put their ancestors on historical maps. Rumsey’s collection has now been integrated on Trackuback <www.trackuback.com>, a subscription service that helps you visualize the historical context of your family history and stories. “We now host a number of historical maps where users can overlay heatmaps and place events,” says Per Filipsson of Trackuback. “With those sources they can let time, place and relations interact, and get a vivid view of their ancestors’ [lives].” Sunny Jane Morton is a contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine, content manager at Your DNA Guide and industry expert on the giant genealogy websites.…

The first digital newspaper archive came online more than 20 years ago. Within a few years, the Library of Congress partnered with other federal agencies to launch Chronicling America <chroniclingamerica.loc.gov>, a free resource for US newspapers. Today, newspaper pages can be digitally scanned in a fraction of a second, and websites (both free and premium) host over a billion historical news pages. Even if your relatives appeared in obscure or unexpected publications, digitization has made their names much more discoverable. Where should you turn to find digitized newspapers for your ancestors’ communities? Perhaps you’ve searched in the past, only to be discouraged by what you couldn’t find. Or maybe you’ve considered subscribing to a premium newspaper website, but aren’t sure which is best for you. Stop the presses. We’ve hit…

Websites Cyndi’s List: Utah <www.cyndislist.com/us/ut> FamilySearch Research Wiki: Utah <www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Utah,_United_States_Genealogy> Linkpendium: Utah <www.linkpendium.com/ut-genealogy> Utah Cemeteries and Burial Databases <history.utah.gov/cemeteries> Utah Digital Newspapers <digitalnewspapers.org> Utah History Encyclopedia <www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia> UTGenWeb Project <sites.rootsweb.com/~utgenweb/index.html> Publications A Guide to Mormon Family History Sources by Kip Sperry (Ancestry.com) Slavery in Zion: A Documentary and Genealogical History of Black Lives and Black Servitude in Utah Territory 1847–1862 by Amy Tanner Thiriot (University of Utah Press) Utah: A People’s History by Dean L. May (University of Utah Press) Utah Place Names: A Comprehensive Guide to the Origins of Geographic Names by John W. Van Cott (University of Utah Press) Archives & Organizations Brigham Young University (BYU) Family History Library <fh.lib.byu.edu> LDS Church History Library <history.churchofjesuschrist.org/landing/church-history-library> Daughters of the Utah Pioneers <www.isdup.org> Mountain West Digital Library <www.mwdl.org> National Archives…

Websites Cyndi’s List: West Virginia <www.cyndislist.com/us/wv> FamilySearch Research Wiki: West Virginia <www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/West_Virginia,_United_States_Genealogy> Linkpendium: West Virginia <www.linkpendium.com/wv-genealogy> West Virginia Vital Research Records Project <archive.wvculture.org/vrr> WVGenWeb <www.wvgenweb.org> Publications Hardesty’s West Virginia Counties: Early West Virginia by Jim Comstock (self-published) History of West Virginia, Old and New, in One Volume by James Morton Callahan (The American Historical Society) <www.archive.org/details/historyofwestvir01call> Making a State: Formation of West Virginia by Edgar B. Sims (State of West Virginia) Timesaving Aid to Virginia-West Virginia Ancestors by Patrick G. Wardell (Iberian Publishing Company) West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia by Jim F. Comstock (self-published) Archives & Organizations Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library <www.clarksburglibrary.org> Library of Virginia: West Virginia Records <www.lva.virginia.gov/public/wv> Marshall University Morrow Library <www.marshall.edu/library/libraries/morrowstacks> National Archives at Philadelphia <www.archives.gov/philadelphia> Virginia Museum of History and Culture <www.virginiahistory.org> West Virginia Archives and History <www.wvculture.org/research/archives-and-history-research-databases>…

WHY NEWSPAPERS? By investigating historical newspapers, you can potentially obtain more information about a particular ancestor or a family line with greater clarity. Beyond obituaries, death notices and marriage announcements, what can you expect to find? The following list, which is by no means exhaustive, represents some of the most common genealogically relevant articles: • obituaries/death notices• marriage announcements• court cases• articles about illnesses• birthday/anniversary announcements• notes about visitors• local news• estate settlements TOP RESOURCES Earlier articles in this issue discuss some of the major newspaper databases (page 14), as well as those more closely honed to a specific time and place (page 24). Here are some of the most-popular historical newspaper websites: • The Ancestor Hunt <www.theancestorhunt.com/newspapers.html>• Chronicling America <chroniclingamerica.loc.gov>• Cyndi’s List <www.cyndislist.com/newspapers>• Findmypast <www.findmypast.com>• GenealogyBank <www.genealogybank.com>• NewspaperArchive <www.newspaperarchive.com>•…

1 LOOK FOR REPRINTS. An old adage in the news business says, “There are no new stories, only new reporters writing about them.” Different articles may discuss the same events or concepts, sometimes with new details. Some may even look like cut-and-paste repeats of earlier articles, and details in these pieces may have evolved over time. Keep this in mind as you make your way through newspapers, and keep track of conflicting information that appears across issues or publications. 2 LEARN SOME LATIN. When referring to when events occurred, old newspaper articles often use the abbreviations ult. (for the Latin ultimo, meaning the previous year, month or week) and inst. (for instant, meaning the current time period). 3 REMEMBER TO FACT-CHECK. Though obituaries and other coverage related to deaths can…

Optical character recognition (OCR) technology translates newspaper page images to text. This allows you to search for any word in a digitized newspaper. But poor-quality images, ink splotches, and damaged or faded pages can cause OCR to “misread” the paper—so your searches may not work. Here’s how to outsmart OCR: • Be flexible. Try another family member’s name or a street address. Shorten your search string: Seeger cigar instead of H.A. Seeger Cigar Manufacturer.• Use wildcard characters if the site allows it. Ladenk* finds Ladenkotter and Ladenkutler; Seeg?r finds Seegur, Seegar and Seeger.• Allow for hyphenation. OCR may not pick up words that are hyphenated, especially on separate lines. Try searching with broken words: Charles Smith field or 386 Broad way.• Search for variant spellings, keeping in mind these common…